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“Your dad is WHAT?!” Midoriya and Uraraka shouted, their shock all the louder for the unnatural silence which shrouded the dead land around their campsite.
“My father is the King.” he repeated, a warmth completely unrelated to his magic washing through him as Tenya’s solid, steady hand wrapped around his own. “I apologise for keeping this from you, but I didn’t want you to treat me differently.”
“As if we would’ve!” Uraraka protested.
“I would’ve.” Tenya pointed out. Shouto squeezed his hand gently, biting back a smile at the memory of how he’d had to order Tenya not to treat him with deference, after the young knight discovered the truth about him. That would’ve blown his secret open real quick.
“And you’re not worried about that anymore?” Midoriya asked, his green eyes sharp in the firelight.
“No. You know me too well, now.” he managed a small smile, leaning into Tenya’s side, solid and steady as a rock.
“We’re your friends, you mean.” Uraraka flopped sideways over Izuku’s lap, the brim of her hat bouncing as she hit dirt.
“I’ve never really had friends before.”
“Me either.” Midoriya said, smiling warm as any flame.
“Oi, Izuku, that’s not true!” Iida exclaimed, sitting up straighter. “We’ve been friends for years!”
“Yeah, but like... all my friends are right here.” Midoriya smiled. “You and Ochako have had other friends, Shouto and I only have...” he gestured to the four of them around the fire.
“When you say it like that, it sounds kinda sad.” Shouto deadpanned. Midoriya tossed a dirt clod at him as Uraraka began to laugh. Tenya began to lecture Midoriya about proper campfire etiquette, and Shouto turned his face to muffle his laugh in Tenya’s shoulder. Leaving home to join this Quest was, hands down, the best thing he’d ever done.